Calculate weighted & unweighted GPA · track semesters & cumulative · Science GPA for pre-med
| Letter | Unweighted | + Honors | + AP / IB / Dual |
|---|
This calculator uses the common convention: Honors = +0.5, AP/IB/Dual Enrollment = +1.0. Some schools use different weighting (e.g. +0.25 / +0.5, or a flat 5.0 scale) and may cap A+ at 4.0 or 4.3 — always check your school’s official grading policy for the figure that appears on your transcript.
Indicative only — admissions decisions weigh GPA alongside test scores, course rigor, essays, and extracurriculars. Always check specific program requirements.
This calculator provides estimates only using the most common US GPA conventions for 2026. Actual grading scales, weighting policies, honours caps, and rounding rules vary by school and institution — always verify your official GPA through your school’s transcript or student portal. This tool is for educational and planning purposes only.
Use our free GPA Calculator to find out exactly what your Grade Point Average is — instantly. Enter your courses, grades, and credit hours to see your weighted and unweighted GPA side by side, track your GPA across multiple semesters, calculate your cumulative GPA, and even get a separate Science (BCPM) GPA if you’re applying to medical school. Built for high school and college students in the US, with support for Honors, AP, IB, and dual-enrollment weighting.
GPA (Grade Point Average) converts your letter grades into a standardized numerical scale and averages them — but it’s a weighted average based on credit hours, not a simple average. The formula is:
Quality points for each course are calculated as: grade point value × credit hours. For example, an A (4.0 grade points) in a 3-credit class earns 4.0 × 3 = 12 quality points. A 4-credit course carries three times the GPA impact of a 1-credit elective earning the same grade — this is why credit-hour weighting matters so much in college GPA, and why a strong grade in a heavier course moves your GPA more than the same grade in a lighter one.
| Course | Grade | Grade Points | Credits | Quality Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English 101 | A | 4.0 | 3 | 12.0 |
| Biology 101 | B | 3.0 | 4 | 12.0 |
| History 201 | A- | 3.7 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Calculus I | B+ | 3.3 | 4 | 13.2 |
| Total | — | — | 14 | 48.3 |
GPA = 48.3 ÷ 14 = 3.45. Notice that Biology and Calculus — the two 4-credit courses — pull more weight on the final number than the 3-credit courses, even though the letter grades in this example are similar across the board.
Unweighted GPA uses the standard 4.0 scale for every course, regardless of how difficult it was. An A in a regular class and an A in an AP class are both worth exactly 4.0.
Weighted GPA adds bonus points to recognise course rigor — commonly +0.5 for Honors courses and +1.0 for AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses. This means a weighted GPA can climb well above 4.0.
Worked comparison: A student takes 5 AP courses in one semester and earns a B (3.0) in each.
A student reporting “a 4.0 GPA” from all B’s in AP classes is reporting the weighted figure — many colleges will still see, and often recalculate to, the 3.0 unweighted number. This is exactly why this calculator always shows both figures together: reporting the wrong one on an application can create a mismatch between what you list and what the admissions office calculates independently.
Semester GPA reflects only the courses taken in a single term. Cumulative GPA reflects every course you’ve completed to date. The key mistake students make: you cannot average semester GPAs together directly if the semesters have different total credits. Instead:
Example: Semester 1: 12 credits at a 3.5 GPA = 42 quality points. Semester 2: 15 credits at a 3.2 GPA = 48 quality points. Cumulative GPA = (42 + 48) ÷ (12 + 15) = 90 ÷ 27 = 3.33 — not the simple average of 3.5 and 3.2 (which would incorrectly suggest 3.35).
If you’re planning to apply to medical school, you’ll eventually need a Science GPA, often called a BCPM GPA — an acronym for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. It’s calculated using the exact same quality-points formula as your overall GPA, just limited to courses in those four subject areas. AMCAS (the American Medical College Application Service) calculates this automatically from your verified transcript when you formally apply, but tracking it yourself throughout your degree — using the Science checkbox on each course row above — lets you monitor it well ahead of application season.
Many college admissions offices don’t simply accept the GPA printed on your transcript — they recalculate it using their own formula, most often on an unweighted basis. The University of California system is a well-known example: it calculates both an unweighted GPA (standard 4.0, using 10th and 11th grade A-G courses) and a separate capped weighted GPA that adds honours bonus points but limits the bonus to a maximum of eight semesters of Honours, AP, IB, or UC-approved honours-level courses. This is why a 4.4 weighted GPA is not automatically stronger than a 3.9 unweighted GPA earned through a genuinely rigorous course load — the admissions office is often looking at both numbers, plus the underlying course list.
GPA is calculated as total quality points divided by total credit hours attempted. Quality points for each course equal the grade point value of your letter grade multiplied by the credit hours of that course. For example, an A (4.0) in a 3-credit class earns 12 quality points. Add up quality points across all your courses, then divide by total credits to get your GPA.
Unweighted GPA uses the standard 4.0 scale for every course regardless of difficulty. Weighted GPA adds bonus points for more rigorous courses — typically +0.5 for Honors and +1.0 for AP, IB, or dual-enrollment classes — so weighted GPAs can exceed 4.0. Many colleges recalculate applicants on an unweighted basis.
Convert each semester back into quality points (semester GPA × that semester’s credits), add the quality points from every semester together, then divide by total credits attempted across all semesters. This is not the same as simply averaging your semester GPAs.
A Science GPA, or BCPM GPA, includes only Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math courses, calculated with the same quality-points formula as your overall GPA. Pre-med students need this because AMCAS reports a separate BCPM GPA alongside your overall GPA on medical school applications.
A cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.0 is generally the baseline for good academic standing, 3.5+ is competitive for many scholarships and state universities, and 3.7–3.9+ is typically expected for highly selective admissions. Weighted GPA benchmarks run higher due to Honors/AP bonus points.
Usually not — Pass/Fail courses are typically excluded from GPA calculations entirely, though the credits may still count toward your degree requirements. Always check your specific school’s grading policy, since some institutions handle this differently.
At most schools, yes — repeating a course typically replaces the original lower grade with the new one for GPA purposes, though the original attempt often still appears on your transcript. Some institutions instead average the two attempts rather than replacing the grade, so confirm your school’s specific repeat policy.